Fire
by A Tainted Raindrop
Summary: When Blackpaw's clan and home is destroyed in a forest fire, he tries to run away from the flames, the bodies, and the memories. But when he feels he's being watched, escape isn't as easy as it sounds.


**Fire**

Blackpaw bolted from the fire, and he refused to look back, the horrifying scenes playing back in his head.

_That was so horrible. Death… Bodies everywhere,_ he thought with a hiss. _Everyone I knew and was close to, simply dying in front of my very eyes._

His inky pelt streaked through the burnt trees.

_Even my closest friends are dead. Why did they have to die?_ Blackpaw bit back an ear-piercing yowl, grief and sadness tearing him apart, glaring around as he jumped over a fallen log as he continued to run from the fire. Everything was pretty much falling, crippled, melting like sand.

_Why did I run? I could have stayed and helped, but no, I had to run like a scaredy cat, _he thought, gritting his teeth, furious at himself. _I could have saved my friends, my family, my clanmates! Instead I just ran like a coward._

Blackpaw had stopped running, but he had run out of breath and looked back. Some of the flames still shone through the trees that weren't horribly burnt.

_Why us? What have we done?_ he wondered, as if silently sending a prayer to StarClan, then continued walking, hoping to find water. _That's what I need, too much smoke in my lungs. _He sighed, sniffing the air, but only smelled the fire. Breathing was getting very difficult.

Blackpaw decided to take his chances finding the water. _I shouldn't bother with looking for cats,_ he thought angrily, digging his claws deep into the ground.

The young tom stopped when he heard water. He ran toward it, not hesitating, and started to lap from the pool. And it seemed to wash away the smoke that was inside him, clearing his lungs.

The black tomcat looked up suddenly, narrowing his eyes. _Why do I get the feeling I'm being watched? _he thought as he looked in the undergrowth, whipping his head from side to side but seeing nothing.

_Must be my nerves,_ the apprentice thought dissmissively, it was more likely to be something harmless watching him, not something that wanted to eat him, engulf him like the flames from earlier.

_I don't think I'd be tasty anyways, I might taste like ash and smoke, _he thought, trying to calm himself. His friends would think he was going crazy. _Who wouldn't after seeing what I saw?_

Blackpaw decided to get out of there, not wanting to be eaten, if it was that type of animal that eats cats just because it can. _  
_

_Badgers and foxes included, _he added smugly. _I wish I could sink my claws into one of those nasty animals. _He continued walking.

Blackpaw sighed, then continued walking, a grumble sounded from his stomach, and there was not a scent of prey on the breeze. He hissed in frustration, and his ears twitched angrily.

_And I still have the feeling I'm being watched._ Blackpaw looked around suspiciously, but held back the nerve to yowl out to whatever was possibly watching him.

He just ignored the naggy feeling. _I hate nagging, _he thought, since everyone in his clan seemed to nag him… a lot, which got on Blackpaw's nerves.

Blackpaw was not usually one to just say, "Oh, I'll do that just because I was told to." _No, that's not how it works. I mean, I'm all for sacrificing my life for my clan, but sometimes it's questionable, which made me… not very liked. But still, the few that were my close friends, at least they didn't nag me all the time, _he remembered wistfully.

He sat down, then licked his fur, then coughed. _Ugh, smoke fur. _Blackpaw gagged up some ash then coughed once more.

The young tom sighed, there was still smoke on the air, but it seemed distant… Either that or he got used to the smell, which he thought was likely bad for his health.

_I hate fires_, he thought to himself, but really, he was stating the obvious. _Who wouldn't hate fires after watching everyone they care about and their home being burnt to the ground, and I am not exaggerating either, I really saw cats burn, horrid sight, never want to remember it._

"I bet Twolegs did it," Blackpaw muttered to himself in grief and burning fury. Twolegs often did crazy, unexplainable things like that. Setting places on fire from their unquenched embers. Blackpaw shivered to himself as he kept walking.

The ground started to burn underneath his paws. His pads started to sizzle and he bit back a pained hiss. The tom tried to move faster, but ahead, a tall tree that was still flaming intensely snapped and dropped down onto the ground, blocking his way.

His eyes grew wide, filled with flames and sparks. He tried to escape, but found his paw lodged in between some branches and rocks. He yowled, trying to get it free, but couldn't. The fire came closer and closer. Blackpaw felt hot tears sting his eyes.

_Is this the end? Is this it?_

Then he felt something freezing cold hit his leg. One hundredth of a second later, it suddenly turned into flaming hot. He didn't dare to look, but he had to. Gold, crimson and amber swirled up his body and melted his flesh, disintegrated his bones. A last blood-curdling scream echoed into the sky of dark smoke.

Two evil eyes gleamed in the shadows in front of the dead apprentice.

Then a glinting ghost of a smile appeared.

* * *

**A challenge for the forum MuffinClan! :)**


End file.
